© Nutritional Therapy Association, Inc.® 1

S C O PE O F PR A C T IC E & C O D E O F E T H IC S

F o r N u t r i t i o n a l T h e r a p y P r a c t i t i o n e r s

SCOPE OF PRACTICE

© Nutritional Therapy Association, Inc.® 1

A Nutritional Therapy Practitioner™ (“NTP”) is a professional certified by the Nutritional Therapy Association, Inc.® NTPs are trained to evaluate a client’s nutritional needs and make bio-individual recommendations or provide follow up support for dietary changes, lifestyle choices and nutritional supplementation based on the following:

• Client Interview

• Analysis of Client’s Food Journal

• Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire

All advice and support recommendations made by an NTP should be based on evidence-based, scientific information. An NTP is not trained to provide medical diagnoses, prescriptions, or treatment of any medical or pathological conditions, illnesses, diseases, or injuries. No recommendation or comment made by an NTP should be construed as medical advice or a diagnosis.

Practitioners should be knowledgeable of the right to practice nutrition in their place of residence as defined by the Council of Holistic Health Educators (http://www.holisticcouncil.com/).

Roles Performed by Nutritional Therapy Association Practitioners:

The role of an NTP is to provide non-biased health and nutrition information to friends, neighbors, associates, and the community. They educate the public on the cost/benefit of eating unprocessed, local, fresh, nutrient dense foods and quality nutritional products that support restoration of chronic nutritional deficiencies as well as lifestyle and environmental factors that contribute to these deficiencies.

NTPs Do:

• Promote a nutrient dense diet

• Focus on foundational nutrition

• Promote active lifestyles

• Teach ancestral eating principles

• Respect biochemical individuality

NTPs Don’t:

• Practice Medical Nutrition • Diagnose and treat disease • Make unproven health claims • Misrepresent training • Use unproven devices, assessments or

therapies • Use network marketing or product sales

in lieu of individual client education.

Distinguishing Features:

• Fresh, natural-foods basis • Educational emphasis • Client based, not method or product-based • Refers to doctors for medical conditions • Highest standard of accountability and integrity • Uses informed consent and full disclosure forms • Adheres to the NTA Code of Ethics

CODE OF ETHICS

© Nutritional Therapy Association, Inc.® 3

The Code of Ethics of the Nutritional Therapy Association is intended to support the certified members of the Nutritional Therapy Association individually and collectively in maintaining a high level of ethical conduct. The standards are used to determine the propriety of conduct in relationships with clients, colleagues, members of allied professions, and the public. The purpose and values of the Nutritional Therapy Association guide this Code of Ethics.

• NTA professionals will participate in activities that improve the nutritional well-being of the client and the community.

• NTA professionals will strive continually to improve skill and knowledge, and make their professional attainments available to their clients and colleagues.

• An NTA professional’s services or protocols will be founded on a legal and practical basis. Practitioners will strive to work with others who uphold the highest letter of the law for our profession.

• An NTA professional will not exceed their scope of service or practice, either in abilities or by law.

• An NTA professional will choose whom he or she will serve. Having undertaken a client, however, they may not neglect the client unless discharged. The member may discontinue service only after giving due notice to the client.

• An NTA professional will seek consultation in doubtful or difficult cases, and whenever it appears that the services of other professionals are warranted to provide more complete or better-quality advice.

• An NTA professional will not reveal the confidences entrusted in the course of consultations, unless required to do so by law. NTA professionals will comply with relevant HIPPA guidelines.

• The professional of the Nutritional Therapy Association will guard the public and themselves against any nutritional counselor deficient in moral character or professional competence. They will obey all laws, uphold the dignity and honor of the profession and accept its self-imposed disciplines. They will oppose without hesitation illegal or unethical conduct of fellow members.

• An NTA professional will hold themselves to the highest level of moral and ethical character when interacting with clients and the public. Harassment or misconduct with clients or other professionals will not be tolerated.

• In pursuit of this code and these goals, an NTA professional will vigorously defend our first amendment right of freedom of speech and press to impart truthful information concerning diet and nutrition, and will defend the health freedom right of the public to obtain such data from the sources that they may choose.